All of my children and my husband love bacon. So, for a lazy weekend breakfast or a summer burger barbecue, there is often the request to have bacon with the meal.

However, the mess from cooking bacon on stovetop (even when using a lid or a splatter shield) often makes me want to suggest a different ingredient. Though, with four little smiles asking, “Pleeease. . .” I usually cook the bacon and deal with the mess after the meal.

Recently, someone suggested that I cook the bacon in the oven. I have to admit that I was skeptical. I figured that the result would be splattered bacon grease inside the oven instead of the stove. Well, the excellent news was that there was no mess in my oven. Plus, there were other benefits. The bacon didn’t need to be flipped, so I didn’t need to watch the pan or worry about getting burned by grease that was splattering. Also, the smell of bacon didn’t seem to linger as long as it did after cooking in a frying pan.

I will admit that cooking the bacon in the oven did require more time, but I think it was worth every extra minute!